Photo Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
For all those who thought they would never know what really happened between Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago, get ready to be amazed.
According to the Chicago Tribune, a Cook County judge ordered Smollett’s sealed records to be opened to the public last Thursday (May 23). Media outlets pushed for the Chicago courthouse to release the disgraced actor’s records, but Smollett’s team tried to block their request by “citing the actor’s privacy rights.”
Unfortunately, Circuit Judge Steven Watkins said Smollett’s privacy rights went out the window when he decided to go before cameras about his case.
“These are not the actions of a person seeking to maintain his privacy or simply be let alone,” Watkins said in a 10-page ruling that he read aloud in court. “While the court appreciates that (Smollett) was in the public eye before the events that precipitated this case, it was not necessary for him to address this so publicly and to such an extent. By doing so, the court cannot credit his privacy interest as good cause to keep the case records sealed.”
Photo Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
Former State Appellate Judge Sheila O’Brien agrees with Judge Watkins’ decision, calling it a “good first step,” but wants more to be done.
“It’s not the court file that’s all-important, it’s Ms. Foxx’s file and the decision-making process in how this case was handled,” O’Brien told media inside the Cook County courthouse.
The story continues…